Pope prays for natural disaster victims in U.S., U.K., Latin America

Junno Arocho Esteves|
Catholic News Service

12/30/15

Submerged roads and houses are seen Dec. 28 after several days of heavy rain led to flooding in Union, Mo. Pope Francis called on Christians to pray for victims of several natural disasters that have hit parts of the United States, Great Britain and Paraguay.

VATICAN CITY (- Pope Francis called on Christians to pray for
victims of several natural disasters that have hit parts of
the United States, Great Britain and Paraguay.

"I invite you to pray for the victims of disasters that in
recent days have struck the United States, Great Britain and
South America, especially in Paraguay, and that unfortunately
have caused casualties, many displaced persons, and extensive
damage," the pope said Dec. 30, before concluding his weekly
general audience.

Severe weather affected the southern and central United
States, causing massive flooding that claimed the lives of 35
people in 13 states, according to CNN. Missouri was the most
severely affected, with levees overflowing in St. Louis.

Storms also rocked Latin American countries, with Paraguay
being the hardest hit, forcing an estimated 150,000 people to
evacuate. According to the BBC, the severe weather has been
attributed to the El Nino weather phenomenon, in which
warmer-than-average sea temperatures cause severe storm
systems.

Other countries affected by the storm were Brazil and the
pope's native Argentina, where an estimated 20,000 people
were evacuated due to flooding.